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Monday, 8 August 2011

20 student basic supermarket purchases

The first time you’ll do a student food shop can be overwhelming and exciting. It’s all too tempting to throw everything in your trolley, especially if you’ve just had your student loan through.

If you’re wondering what basics to buy, here are a few ideas:

Milk. For tea, cereal and the odd hot chocolate treat

Margarine. Or butter if you’re not too worried about calories.

Bread. Just don’t live on it.

Fruit juice: The easiest way to get one of your 5-a-day.

Eggs: Cheap, filling and versatile.

Cheese: Again, cheap and versatile.

Pasta: An absolute student essential. Quick and easy to cook, and brilliant for lining the stomach.

Rice: Great for curries, paellas, chinese dishes and stir frys.

Herbs and spices: Most food can be livened up with some herbs and spices. And most of the supermarkets do sets of basic herbs and spices.

Salt and Pepper: Essential parts of most savoury recipes.

Meat. Certain cuts of meats and poultry are cheaper than others. Chicken thighs, braising steak and pork belly are all cheaper options - and often more tender. It’s worth popping to the frozen aisle to see if they’ve got any packs of frozen chicken breasts/steaks/chops as they’re cheaper. Also, check out the discounted section for any last-minute bargains.

Beans and pulses. Great for throwing into a stew (and it’s worth investing in a slow cooker for simple and easy meals).

Vegetables. I know, but you’ll thank us for nagging you about this. Again, hit up the frozen aisle for big bags of frozen vegetables, or those handy sachets of microwave vegetables (and sometimes rice)

Pizza Bases: A cheap way to make a quick dinner. Just chuck your ingredients on and pop it in the oven.

Sugar: For your tea, cakes and cereal.

Olive Oil: A basic for cooking. You can also get Olive Oil is spray form.

Flour: For sauces, cakes and

Tomato Sauce: Great with pasta, or as a base to pizza.

Soy sauce: A great way to liven up meat and fish.

Tuna: What house is complete without several cans of tuna?

All of this will be available from Campus Central. Keep an eye out for upcoming deals!